Tech

Producer

Neudorf

‘Neudorf Vineyards’ is a Nelson based winery, well loved by us here at Specialist Cellars and regarded as one of New Zealand’s treasured Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers. Tim and Judy Finn planted vines back in 1978, not really knowing what would work but persevering, with trials and errors and loving every learning curve along the way. Thankfully their determination paid off and four decades later Neudorf is only moving from strength to strength as each vintage goes on.

The vineyard is based on gravelly soils of an ancient river system, which combined with Nelson’s gentle climate and Neudorf’s non interventionist winemaking produce wines of clarity and distinction. Winemaker Todd Stevens follows structure & texture over flavour and in the Moutere vineyard viticulturist Stef Brockley follows an organic regime with intense hand work. The 35-hectares under vine are hand thinned, leaf plucked and hand picked.

While their portfolio boasts seven different varietals, there are multiple brands and bottles under these grapes. As said, their Chardonnays are of world class level with the ‘Rosie’s Block’ being distinctive, luscious and mineral. The ‘Moutere Chardonnay’ is incomparable in flavour, being tactile and rich. Tom’s Block Pinot Noir is supple, silky and pure. Their Sauvignon Blanc is a more refined version than other kiwi Savs, and the Moutere Albarino has to be tried to be understood.

As Judy says “Making wine is constantly scary and stimulating. We survive on hard work, high hopes and a dollop of common-sense and cunning”.

To find out more about Neudorf and their wines, visit their website here.

Region

Nelson

Dwarfed by the dominant surrounding regions such as Marlborough, Nelson is often overlooked. But when one takes the time to explore both wine and country, Nelson is a delightful find. Acting as a gateway to the Abel Tasman and Kahurangi National park, stunning scenery, nature walks and hiking trails are something Nelson has to spare.

The unique topography of the area provides many benefits for vintners, the mountain range that envelopes the area, covering the west, south and east provides fantastic protection from the prevailing westerly winds. The result of which is a climate that is far calmer compared to the neighbouring regions that sit outside of the ranges protection. Although the ranges do cause a far higher rate of rainfall compared to Marlborough. Luckily this is countered by the increased daylight exposure resulting from the regions northern location.

Nelsons two sub-regions are Waimea Plains and the Upper Moutere hill country. The plains and Marlborough are very similar in character, although the plains gravelly silt loams have a higher clay content leading to high water retention and core minerality provoking light aromatic wines. While the gravel threaded clay of the Upper Moutere hill country produces rich, complex wines with fantastic texture.

Nelson has seen a steady increase in plantings over the previous 20 years, although suitable land is becoming scarce, not only driving up the cost of production but also limiting the future growth potential of the region.